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Understanding the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) - Bipartisan Policy Center
Proposals to increase the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT), instituted in 2010 under the Affordable Care Act, and to apply it as a new revenue stream in the quest to resolve the Social Security insolvency dilemma are resurfacing. The current 3.8% NIIT contributed more than $39 billion in 2023, and some legislative recommendations have advocated an increase to between 10% and 20%.
Since an NIIT increase as suggested represents the potential for a significant piece of the Social Security revenue picture, it’s a good idea to have at least a general understanding of its structure and execution. The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Andrew Lautz yesterday published an analysis of this taxing mechanism titled The Net Investment Income Tax: What It Is and Who Pays It. The post explains the tax in some detail and who pays it, as well as NIIT’s legislative history and the economic policy considerations and tradeoffs that relate to it.
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